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US to Pull 50% of Deep-Strike Capability from Europe, Sources Tell TVP World

The US plans to cut by half the deep strike forces allocated to Europe, including aircraft carriers and warplanes, shifting more defense responsibility to NATO allies. European countries are expected to present plans by July to fill the gap. The move reflects growing US pressure on Europe to strengt

Kyiv Post

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27 mai 2026

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The United States plans to halve its deep strike capability in Europe, including aircraft carriers and warplanes, a military source close to the matter has told TVP World amid worries over how committed America is to its NATO allies.

A senior European official separately confirmed that the US intends to go ahead with the move. 

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Washington expects European allies to provide details by July of how they will bridge the gap, the military source said. 

The latest move is separate from recently announced American troop withdrawals from some European countries, a former NATO spokesperson suggested to TVP World. 

Michał Baranowski, Poland’s deputy technology minister, said deep strike forces play a “critical deterrent function” for European countries, but added that cuts to these resources weren’t necessarily a “foregone conclusion.” 

The NATO alliance is under unprecedented strain, with some European countries concerned that Washington may leave it outright. 

NATO allies were informed of the latest US plans last Friday by Alexander Velez-Green, senior advisor to the Under Secretary of War for Policy, the TVP World military source said, adding that European NATO countries are expected to present their plans in time for the alliance’s Ankara summit, scheduled for July 7–8. 

Though the European response remains unknown, it is unlikely to result in a like-for-like replacement of US assets, the source said. 

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They added that the issue of troop levels in Poland – a hot topic due to the Pentagon’s surprise halting of a routine rotational troop deployment— was not discussed at the meeting with Velez-Green. 

Meanwhile, a NATO diplomat told TVP World that the US has long warned it would shift assets away from Europe and this could represent an opportunity for European allies to step up and maximize their capabilities to better calibrate deterrence against Russia while reducing reliance on America. 

The Trump administration explicitly stated in its National Security Strategy last December and National Defense Strategy released in January that Europe must shoulder more of the burden for its own defense. 

Crisis response 

Former NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu, a senior expert at the Royal United Services Institute, suggested to TVP World that the reductions concern forces allocated to Europe for deployment in the event of crisis or conflict, rather than assets currently deployed to European NATO member countries. 

However, she added that this change of crisis allocation is potentially of greater consequence in terms of burden shifting within the alliance than “the deployment or rotation of a few thousand troops.” 

Poland and other NATO allies were blindsided earlier in May when Secretary of War Pete Hegseth halted a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country. President Trump later promised Warsaw an “additional” 5,000 personnel.  

Trump has slammed European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and pledged to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.  

Transatlantic tensions 

His ambition to take control of Greenland, a Danish overseas territory, has further inflamed transatlantic tensions. 

Trump has also fiercely criticized European allies for a lack of support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz for shipping amid the war on Iran, saying he was considering withdrawing from the NATO alliance and questioning whether Washington was bound to honor its mutual defense pact.